Needlestick injury

Needlestick injury
Other namesPercutaneous injury, percutaneous exposure incident, sharps injury
A sharps container is a recommended method for collecting needles while reducing the risk of needlestick injuries
SpecialtyEmergency medicine, Infectious disease

A needlestick injury is the penetration of the skin by a hypodermic needle or other sharp object that has been in contact with blood, tissue or other body fluids before the exposure.[1] Even though the acute physiological effects of a needlestick injury are generally negligible, these injuries can lead to transmission of blood-borne diseases, placing those exposed at increased risk of infection from disease-causing pathogens, such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In healthcare and laboratory settings globally, there are over 25 distinct types of blood-borne diseases that can potentially be transmitted through needlestick injuries to workers. [2] In addition to needlestick injuries, transmission of these viruses can also occur as a result of contamination of the mucous membranes, such as those of the eyes, with blood or body fluids, but needlestick injuries make up more than 80% of all percutaneous exposure incidents in the United States.[1][3] Various other occupations are also at increased risk of needlestick injury, including law enforcement, laborers, tattoo artists, food preparers, and agricultural workers.[3][4]

Increasing recognition of the unique occupational hazard posed by needlestick injuries, as well as the development of efficacious interventions to minimize the largely preventable occupational risk, encouraged legislative regulation in the US, causing a decline in needlestick injuries among healthcare workers.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b "The National Surveillance System for Healthcare Workers (NaSH) Summary Report for Blood and Body Fluid Exposure (1995–2007)" (PDF). CDC. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. ^ Tarigan, Lukman H.; Cifuentes, Manuel; Quinn, Margaret; Kriebel, David (1 July 2015). "Prevention of needle-stick injuries in healthcare facilities: a meta-analysis". Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 36 (7): 823–29. doi:10.1017/ice.2015.50. ISSN 1559-6834. PMID 25765502. S2CID 20953913.
  3. ^ a b Leigh, JP; Markis, CA; Iosif, A; Romano, PS (2015). "California's nurse-to-patient ratio law and occupational injury". International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 88 (4): 477–84. Bibcode:2015IAOEH..88..477L. doi:10.1007/s00420-014-0977-y. PMC 6597253. PMID 25216822.
  4. ^ Alamgir, H; Yu, S (2008). "Epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in the healthcare sector". Occupational Medicine. 58 (6): 393–99. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn028. PMID 18356143.
  5. ^ Wicker, S; Ludwig, A; Gottschalk, R; Rabenau, HF (2008). "Needlestick injuries among health care workers: Occupational hazard or avoidable hazard?". Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift. 120 (15–16): 486–92. doi:10.1007/s00508-008-1011-8. PMC 7088025. PMID 18820853.
  6. ^ Phillips, EK; Conaway, M; Parker, G; Perry, J; Jagger, J (2013). "Issues in Understanding the Impact of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act on Hospital Sharps Injuries". Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 34 (9): 935–39. doi:10.1086/671733. PMID 23917907. S2CID 25667952.